13 September 2024 - 0 Comments

TOI has today released their highly-anticipated new album Waves - an honest and soulful collection of songs, which takes the listener on a journey and reinforces their reputation as one of the tightest bands in the land.

Listen to Waves HERE

The album includes already released songs Wired, We Got This and Essence as well as new single Get To Know You - an upbeat, feelgood song with an irresistible groove, that’s set to become a summer favourite. Listen to Get To Know You HERE

Other stand-out songs on the record include Slow Down, which serves as a reminder to ‘trust the process’ and Fly On, which is packed with catchy hooks.

Waves showcases TOI’s signature sound of modern soul, infused with old school funk and R&B. But the band also bravely pushes into new sonic territories as well.

“We deliberately set out with the intention of simply writing music that we truly love. We allowed ourselves creative freedom to experiment further with some styles and approaches that we would’ve perhaps avoided, or not been brave enough to dive into, in the past,” says the band’s co-founder and guitarist Jules Blewman.

The album also sees TOI at their most vulnerable. “We were just boys back when the band started. Over the years, a lot has changed for us all and it’s shaped who we are today. The result is a record that touches on far more personal topics than we’ve ever written about before. Many of which are all part of the cycle of life; feelings and experiences that others can hopefully relate to.”

TOI’s only goal when writing and recording Waves was to make a record that came from a genuine and honest place. “We didn’t write this record thinking ‘will it get played on radio’ or ‘what playlists does it fit on’. We just went ‘F*** it! Let’s write from a true and genuine creative inspired by the music we really love; from feelings we truly felt and lessons we have learnt,” says Jules.

The majority of the songs on Waves were produced by local legend Neil MacLeod, with Ben O’Leary from Drax Project, also turning his hand at production on the tracks We Got This and Essence.

Poignantly the album was recorded at TOI’s own studio Te Māra in Wellington - their first record completed in the studio. “The studio is really cozy with good vibes. We were able to really take our time with the whole process, knowing that we could work until 4am if the creative vibes were flowing, which often happened,” says Jules.

For the first time ever, TOI is releasing the album on vinyl to enhance the listening experience.

“The album was written and produced as a concept album, where all the tracks - when listened to in order - relate to each other and tell a bigger story. So we’re really excited to present the record on vinyl.”

Fans of TOI can catch the band in their home town of Wellington at Meow on September 20 for a one-off Waves album release show. Get tickets HERE

“Expect to hear the album played in full for the first time ever. We’ll also be playing some old and classic numbers of ours too. Bring your dancing shoes because you’ll want to move. Good vibes only!”

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